Sunday, May 24, 2009

McDonald's And Old Age And French Fries.

I've definitely had my share of Big Macs and Apple Pies. Oh yeah, this sistah used to stuff her face with 'em every day. Sometimes a few times a day to be real with ya. But--no lie--I haven't stepped inside one in a while since my iced coffee addiction kicked in a few weeks back. And every time I walk into one of these joints, something surprises me like the poor sanitary conditions or workers eating food from trays in front of customers.

So, today, as I paid for my cup of caffeine, something took me by surprise: an employee in her late 60s scooping up french fries. Late 60s. She was working so hard and so fast her mascara started to run down her cheeks. Her lipstick looked like it wore off during yesterday's shift and you could tell by the way she slumped over the french fries that her back hurt like Hell. I wanted to jump over the counter and tell her to go home and relax for the rest of her life like she outta be doing. I wanted to yell at anyone who would listen for allowing her to spend the latter portion of her life at McDonald's in which she has to endure being bossed around by a 28 year old manager.

Yes, I know the economy is rough. Yeah, I know we all gotta do what we gotta do. And hey, she may love working at McDonald's (not) and do it part time for fun. In all honesty, I'm not in her worn shoes, and I don't know how she feels. I just know that in my heart, this picture doesn't look right. It was hard to see. It made me think of my grandmother who worked hard everyday as a school teacher for over thirty years. And to think of her working at McDonald's would have broken my heart. But, everyone is different, right? I wonder how she feels about it...